Carol Johnson, Southern Indiana Business Report
MITCHELL – Downtown buildings, historic churches and tree-filled parks in Mitchell and Orleans are providing inspiration to college art students this week.
Student artists from Indiana University and Ivy Tech Community College Bloomington have been set up on Main Streets in Mitchell and Orleans, painting scenes in the downtowns as part of plein air painting sessions.
About 21 students from Ivy Tech are in Mitchell and a group of students from IU are painting in Orleans. Plein air means to paint in the open air.
The effort is sponsored by Radius Indiana, which provided art supplies. Radius invited the students down to raise community awareness about the Monon South Trail.
“Sometimes, when we see our own communities through the eyes of other people, we recognize the beauty or the charm that we take for granted,” said Jeff Quyle, Radius Indiana CEO and president. “I think these paintings may help local residents and visitors see our communities and the Trail in a new light by seeing their town as others see it.”
Trail construction began this summer. When complete, the Monon South Trail will add nearly 60 miles of continuous trail to four counties, starting in Lawrence and ending in Clark. Construction of Phase 1A began this summer on the Mitchell and Orleans sections of the trail. The MST is part of the state’s Next Level Trails program.
“We want to document the progress in each of these small towns before and after the trail comes,” said Sadie Miskuf, program manager of Magnificent Monon South, Radius Indiana’s regional Main Street program. “This is our initial event where we can look back at these paintings and see how far we’ve come.”
On Tuesday, Ivy Tech student Cassandra Shurtleff was painting the railroad sign at the end of Main Street in Mitchell.
“I love the idea of being outside, sitting in the fresh air and painting rather than being in the classroom,” she said. “And I love the fact we’re doing this for the trail that’s being built. I think the trail will be a great way of bringing the community together and having more people come out and enjoy the views you can see in Mitchell.”
Ivy Tech student Thea Robertson called the experience “a beautiful opportunity.”
Amy Brier, associate professor and chair of the Ivy Tech Fine Arts program, said it’s not often students are invited to participate in a community project. She thanked Radius for supporting the effort.
“Everyone has been very welcoming and supportive,” she said. “Quite a few people have stopped and talked to the students, or asked them what they were doing.”
“It’s been fun having them here,” said Tonya Chastain, executive director of Lawrence County Tourism. The tourism office invited the students inside to take breaks during the day.
Last week the students sketched their subjects. They returned this week to complete their paintings. One student painted Friendship Park. Others painted downtown historic buildings, including Jacob Finger United Methodist Church and Mitchell’s Carnegie library.
“The students were so thankful and grateful to experience a part of southern Indiana they’ve never been to,” said Miskuf. “None of the students had ever been to Mitchell, but after spending time there, they were making plans to come back to the area.”
